378 DADDS VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 



Nature to unite the bones after her well-known fashion. If the 

 horse is a valuable one, and the fracture slight, he should be 

 placed in slings. The hair may then be shaved off the region of 

 fracture to the extent of one foot in diameter; then smear on, 

 while warm, a strengthening plaster, composed of pitch, resin, 

 and beeswax. But should the fracture be of a very grave char- 

 acter — the bones broken in several places, the animal down and 

 in great agony — then the sooner he is put out of his misery th» 

 better. 



Splent, or Splint. 



Splent, or splint, makes its appearance on the inner and lower 

 part of the knee-joint. It consists of a bony tumor (exostosis), 

 and, finally, the small bone known as f Jie metacarpus purvus 

 becomes united to the cannon or shank Done. This constitutes 

 anchylosis, so that the disease is of the same nature as ring-bone. 

 Splent sometimes appears on the outside of the leg ; but the dis- 

 ease is oftener found on the inside, from the fact that it is nearer 

 the center of the weight of the body than the outer, and receives 

 the greatest amount of concussion The inner bone is said to 

 receive nearly the whole weight transmitted to the small bone of 

 the knee. A splent on the inside is often the result of a blow 

 inflicted with the opposite foot, which bruises the soft parts and 

 periosteum, and, finally, the bones become affected. Faulty shoe- 

 ing has also a direct agency in the production of splent. For 

 example : if one caulk of the shoe be higher than the other, or 

 should the foot be pared more on one side than the other, the 

 effect will be to throw the limb into a false position, which may 

 result in ligamentary lameness and splent. Splent, however, ap- 

 pears sometimes without any assignable cause. On dissecting the 

 imbs of aged horses, we frequently find the splent bones firmly 

 united to the shank. The following is the opinion of Prof. Cole- 

 man in regard to splent: 



" ' A splent once is a splent always.' The two bones being once 

 united by ossific matter, this connection, whatever we may do or 

 apply, will never be altered. It used to be the custom to remove 

 the splent with a hammer and chisel, but the production of a 

 large blemish, from the destruction of skin, was the consequence 

 of this barbarous method. Another practice, as ancient and bar- 

 barous as the former, was the application of corrosive sublimate, 



